The Game, Edward Style
by DestinySkylar
Summary: Edward Cullen, vampire hunter, is given an assignment that he can't refuse...Bella Swan. Edward's pov of The Game by Destiny Skylar.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Edward Cullen, vampire hunter, is given an assignment he can't refuse. Bella Swan.

An~ this is the story of The Game in Edwards pov. Might be helpful if you read The Game first. Helpful but not necessary. This is Edwards' part from September until that day in the woods.

And since I hate repetition, I won't be putting all of the conversations that they had, just the general gist of it. Plus this is covering over seven chapters.

* * *

The Game...Edward style.

Chapter 1

_Wow...would you look at him!_

Here I was minding my own business, thinking that maybe I could get a cup of coffee and read a few chapters of my book when the thoughts from the women across the room assaulted me. Usually I don't get the thoughts of people so far away...but then again, they're usually not as, um, strong, as hers were.

I hurriedly shut my eyes, trying to concentrate on doing the blocking techniques it took me years to perfect.

But there was only so much blocking I could do as the woman's thought kept coming at me.

And let's just say I kept getting a little, um...distracted.

_In her thought we were in a bedroom, hers I could tell by the familiarity of it. She hungrily attacked my lips, and I did the same to her. She roughly pulled at my hair and I moaned into her mouth._

I also had to stop myself from moaning out loud in the coffee shop.

_The moan set her off, causing her to rip open my shirt, buttons went flying. She trailed her deep red fingernails over my chest and nipples, over my stomach to the waist band of my jeans._

I was heavily panting. And I'm pretty sure the couple next to me thought I was crazy from the looks they were giving me. I didn't even have to read their minds to know that.

_The woman got down on her knees, kissing her way down as she went, lingering on my happy trail. She made busy work undoing the button on my pants. But when it came to undoing my zipper, the action was drawn out. _

This was the part when she looked up at me, but in her mind all I could see was myself, and that kind of freaked me out. I had to stop her before she could think of anything else.

_Her gaze went back to her handiwork, pulling the zipper all the way down. She smiled, licking her lips in anticipation. I wasn't wearing any underwear. She reached up lightly caressing my-_

I pushed my chair back abruptly; the chair scratched the floor causing her to look up from her daydream. When she saw me looking at her, her face blanched, and she quickly looked down, stirring her coffee.

_Oh my God, Oh my God, oh my God! He's looking at me. I can't believe it!_

I knew from her though that she planned on looking back up at me, smiling. She thought about asking me for my number. Maybe another cup of coffee.

I couldn't let that happen. I came here to get a cup of coffee and read my book. Not to get molested in someone's thought.

Sometimes I wish I could meet just one person's who's mind I can't read.

I grabbed my beat up book off the table, throwing the cup in the trash. The coffee had been long since drinkable. As I pushed my way out the door, I knew her eyes were following me. He thought told me so. And for some reason, I still couldn't block her.

She analyzed every step I took toward the door, while I tried to build back up the walls.

I had gotten so good at blocking people's thoughts that I had let my guard down. Most of the time it's fine, the thoughts just seem to float around me. But others, like that woman in the coffee shop, there's just seem to pull me in.

And it's usually in those where I'm in some type of compromising position with a woman.

And those generally tend to freak me out. Mostly because I know from past experiences that their thoughts don't usually live up to their expectations.

After I had gone several blocks down the busy sidewalk from the coffee shop, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

"Hello?"

"Edward." I heard my father's, Carlisle, voice on the other end. "We have a job for you."

* * *

A job for the family isn't a normal job. But then again, neither am I.

Don't go thinking it's like the mob or anything, because it's not. My family hunts vampires.

Yes, vampires. They _do_ exist.

Although, they may or may not be like Hollywood wants you to believe they are.

As the cab I took across town pulled up to my house, I wondered what this job was going to be like. Most of the jobs I do, I don't get very involved with because I only get used for one thing.

My mind reading skills.

The skills I got from having head trauma when I was little. Not sure how it happened. One minute I go from being normal to the next where I was answering unasked questions.

I paid the cabbie, and then made my way up the drive where I was met by my sister Rosalie's better half, Emmett.

"Hey, bro." He said to me. Unlike the rest of my family, who tends to just talk to me in their minds whenever we're alone, Emmett likes to talk out loud. When he first found out what I could do, I thought he'd be a little apprehensive at first, but he wasn't. He thought it was "cool" that I could read minds. Then he told me "If I wasn't with your sister right now, I'd take you to a bar and have you help me pick up chicks."

He still doesn't understand what I'm single, or at least have a girl on my arm at all times. He doesn't get that it's not the same getting to know them, because I'll _know_ when they lie.

It was soon after Rosalie brought him home that I realized why Emmett didn't care if I could read his mind or not. Because he always told everyone what was on his mind, regardless of what it is. And usually when he and Rosalie are in the same room for long periods of time, I generally have to find a room far away from them, because let's face it; I know that he and my sister have a sex life. But I don't need to _see_ it.

"Just thought I'd give you the heads up" he said, putting an arm around my shoulder, pulling me into the foyer, taking a look around before he spoke. I could have just read him mind, but I like that Emmett at least tries to _act_ like I'm normal. "Uncle Aro is here."

"What?"

"Yeah."

We turned and made our way down the hall. Having uncle Aro here was a _big_ deal. Usually for jobs he tends to just call and tell us what he wants. If uncle Aro was here, that means that this job is something big enough for him to come to the states.

"Ah, Edward. Just the man I wanted to see." Aro said to me once Emmett and I stepped through the door. I saw my cousins Alec and Jane here as well; them being here really did confirm that this is big. They'd be happy if they didn't ever have to see us. "Edward, we don't have much time for family reunions." I nodded my head. They never had time for those.

He handed me a folder stacked with paper, then motioned for me to open it. "As you can see the subjects name is Isabella Swan, age twenty. She was born and raised in a town call Forks in Washington. Its several hours North West of Seattle. She currently resides in Waco Texas, where she attends Baylor University."

Everyone in the room looked at me. I just rolled my eyes, shaking my head. They wanted to know what i would say about them sending me to the same town as Jasper, my brother. Who I wasn't too happy with right now. And I doubt seeing him in this place would make me any happier. Well, Waco's big, maybe I can ignore him.

Like I choose to ignore their silent questions.

"So besides the rundown on this subject, what are we dealing with?" I asked to cover the silence.

"Well," Aro looked a little weary. "We don't really know."

My hand stopped mid turn of the page I was looking at "You don't know?" Usually Aro never starts a job without knowing all details about the situation.

"No. Inside sources confirmed that groups of vampires are coming together for one goal." He turned around, signaling to Alec and Jane. An overhead projector was set up and at that moment a picture flashed on the screen. "Isabella Swan."

The picture wasn't the best in the world. It was grainy and pixilated. And it looked as though the picture was taken by a security camera while she pumped gas.

"The same picture is in the file." Aro continued. "This is the most recent picture we could find. Sources say she doesn't go out much, and there's a list of places that she goes to, and she works for the university library. If you have any trouble locating her, you can look for her roommate, Mary Alice Brandon age nineteen."

Another picture flashed on the overhead of a short girl with spiky black hair looking through clothing racks.

"Alice is apparently popular on campus, with many friends, and she tends to drag Isabella along with her."

"So what do you need me to do?" I asked, even though I knew already.

"Find Isabella, listen to her, and see what she knows. You should be able to do it pretty quick. If she or anyone she comes in contact with knows anything about vampires, let us know immediately."

* * *

I left not to long after that to catch a plane to Texas. Mom and Rosalie had already packed a bag for me. Dad gave me information on where I would be staying and told me that I would have to live as a college student...therefore I couldn't take my Vanquish. They said it wouldn't fit in for me to take it.

Before I walked out the door, dad said to me, silently. _'Please see your brother. He may be able to help.'_

I think that he knew that I had no plans on following through with that, but he said it anyway.

When I finally made it to Waco, it didn't take long to find Isabella, Bella as she told everyone to call her, Swan. She spent most her time in the library. Either doing her work or studying. She didn't have much of a life unless you count the times Alice dragged her off shopping or to parties.

I also didn't get anything from their minds about vampires, but usually they were always in crowded areas, and it was those times that it was hard to concentrate on one mind.

I decided to stick around until I could follow Bella to an area that wasn't crowded. That took a while.

But one day she and Alice were sitting in the Java Cafe, where Bella ordered her usual white hot chocolate, when someone else came down and sat at their table. This person, I knew, knew about the existence of vampires. But I knew that it wouldn't help us much, because the person who sat down was my brother, Jasper.

For a few minutes I thought about swallowing my pride and telling him why I was here, because he could be my way in. As I thought about my options I almost missed Bella leaving the table. I followed her down several blocks until she stepped inside a store. Second Chance Books. I stepped inside several minutes later.

As the musky book smell assaulted my smell, I noticed that there were several people in the store, and that it was big enough where I could move around unnoticed.

The first place I looked at in the bookstore was the young adult section, thinking that she'd be like the rest of her peers and read the lovey-dovey teen cheesy romances.

But she wasn't there.

I tried to pick out her thoughts from the others, but in reality I don't know what she sounds like, so it could have been any of them really. I made my way farther into the store, and when I came to the classic fiction section, I saw her sitting in the floor, back against the book shelve, reading a copy of _Pride and Prejudice_.

I stood there for several moments just looking at her. There hadn't been many times that I could just _look_ at her. It has always been those crowded area, and I didn't want to _seem_ stalker-ish.

Even if that's what I was actually doing.

But now I could. The first moment I saw Bella Swan, I thought she was pretty, talking to a few people in the school library, showing them what they needed to know or just making casual conversation. No matter how much I told myself that I didn't need to be noticing her like _that_.

But here in the dim light, surrounded but classic literature, she was almost heavenly. It was peaceful.

I hurriedly broke my gaze and went to the aisle behind her, stopping when I saw her through the shelves, and opened my mind to her. Not that I really wanted to _hear_ about Mr. Darcy and Lizzy, but I wanted to know what she thought about them.

As I sat there in silence, I realized something as she turned the page.

I was sitting there in _silence_.

I leaned in closer to her, concentrating only on her.

Still nothing.

For the first time in my life that I can remember, I couldn't' hear someone's thoughts. I know I wished for it for so long, but I don't know if I really like this. Plus, this person just so happens to be the girl I was sent here to spy on.

I pulled a book out of the shelf and mirrored her sitting just so if anyone would walk by they wouldn't think I was watching her. I was hoping that this was going to be a delayed reaction or something, and that soon her thoughts would come to me. I looked at the title in my hands before I opened it up to a random page. _1984._ _**Huh? Ironic**__**. **_

As I still sat there in silence I was beginning to think either she had left or that she didn't _think_ at all. I had an urge to turn my head to make sure she was actually still there, when I heard her giggle, which made me smile in return at the sound,

Then I grew annoyed. Instead of someone else's thoughts assaulting me, it was my own this time. _**What was she giggling at? Was it actually funny? **_And last, _**Could I make her laugh too? **_

I mentally shook my head. That was something I _definitely_ didn't need to think about that.

As i tried to get myself to stop thinking about her in that why, I opened my mind more, hoping that all this time had just been a fluke and that I _could_ read her mind.

Silence

Opened my mind more.

_Need to pick Jimmy up from the school._

_Need to buy cake mix from the store._

_I want a puppy_

And right before I could close my mind off, one word causes my blood to run cold.

_Bbbeeeeelllllllllaaaaa._

I quickly got up, searching the store, opening myself to all the inhabitants. With all of thoughts coming at me, I didn't catch any one sounding like that word. Who ever thought it either masked their voice because I couldn't tell if it were male or female or if the thought was in a whisper.

But it made me think that maybe, just maybe, they knew about what I could do.

* * *

Ater that day, I went probably the lowest of the low.

I started breaking into Bella room at night. I didn't do anything, just watched her sleep. Being in the marines had taught me how to be sly, plus it didn't hurt that Bella was a heavy sleeper.

Each night I would sneak in and listen to her. I could listen to her, because she talked in her sleep. This was the only time that I could get inside of her mind. Though, mostly it just left me with more questions. Like, what was wrong with math? Why did she not like to go shopping? And who the hell was Jake?

From what she says in her sleep about him, made me think he destroyed her heart. And for some reason I wanted to beat his head in because of it.

I kept telling myself that sneaking into her bedroom at night was purely for educational purposes.

Though after several weeks, I was no closer to finding out why I couldn't read her mind, nor could I find any reasons for vampires to be after her.

I also didn't let my family know that I _couldn't _read her mind. I didn't want to give up my time with her, even if I knew it wouldn't get me any closer to her.

* * *

Towards the end of November I decided to change my tactics with her.

I let her see me.

It wasn't what Aro or my dad wanted, they wanted me to come home, since I hadn't discovered anything. But I decided to remain here and remain visual; after all I had heard more whispers of her name. The numbers were growing by the days.

I didn't want to leave because I felt something coming.

I didn't know what, but I knew something was. Dad and Aro decided to send back up, meaning that Emmett and Rosalie would be coming. Which means I would be spending even less time in the apartment than I what I was.

But at least they were bringing my Vanquish.

Bad even decided to tell Jasper what was going on. I told dad told it was fine; just not to give him specifics, like names. No one in the family would like it if Jasper flunked the semester because he was too worried about someone.

And that someone was Alice Brandon.

Alice, being Bella's best friend and roommate, was in the same danger Bella was in, because they would use her to get to Bella. Jasper didn't need that, because it was pretty clear from watching them together that he was in love with her. And her him.

It didn't take mind reading skills to figure out that they are both in love with each other.

Of course neither one has said anything yet, but I'm kind of hoping that he grows some balls soon and tells her.

Showing myself to Bella didn't do as well as I have hoped.

Usually my good looks cause women to forget about everything else but me. Which usually causes them to have improper fantasies where I'm usually the hero of the story.

Of course with Bella, I couldn't read her thoughts, so I wasn't really sure what she was thinking. But I've gotten pretty handy with reading facial expressions along with the thoughts.

But with her, it was hard to read. I guess I'd been able to only read facial expressions when I have the thoughts as a confirmation.

Still, the first time she saw me, she did a double take, her dark brown eyes widening the second time.

I had gotten this expression a lot, so I was used to this behavior. Although, my behavior was different this time because I felt excited that she had that reaction.

After that I couldn't judge. Which I may have went a little over board with it because at first I would show myself randomly at places that could be a coincidence.

Then I got so involved with how her eyes would flash or how her lips would move every time she saw me that I would just show up wherever she was.

I tried to make myself believe that I was doing this for work purposes only, but not even _I _could fool myself anymore.

I had a crush on Bella Swan, and that's all there was to it.

* * *

It was about two days away from Jasper's last basketball game of the year, when I heard the thoughts,

_Soon, we will capture Bella._

I didn't waste any time with getting in touch with my family to tell them what I heard. Mom and dad didn't waste any time flying down. Emmett, Rosalie and I beefed up security detail on Bella.

Even Jasper helped, although he didn't know he was actually _helping_.

When mom and dad showed up, dad told me he was proud that I had disobeyed him and uncle Aro, because if I had come home we wouldn't know to be here now.

Then mom told me what she had planned before I decided to show myself to Bella. Esme, my mom, being a famous designer in Chicago, uses her skills and name to restore houses around Christmas. She calls it her pro-bono work. And if she could, it would be the only type of work she would do.

This year she found a house in Forks, to remodel. But she said because of my actions with Bella, that I would have to stay low or it would be a little "creepy". Her words not mine. That was fine with me. And maybe Jasper can meet Alice randomly one day in town or something, since I _was_ told that he would be joining us.

The next day, after mom and dad arrived, everything was quiet.

Too quiet.

Everyday up until now, I've been hearing Bella's name whispered, even spoken in some cases...but today?

Nothing.

It made me think of the phrase 'calm before the storm', because I was sure a storm was coming.

* * *

It was the morning of the game, and I finally buckled down and talked to Jasper. I needed to know where Bella was going to be; therefore I needed to know where Alice was going to be.

When Jasper opened the door to his apartment, his eyes widen in surprise to see me on his doorstep.

I guess someone told him how long I had _actually_ been in Waco.

"Edward. Wasn't expecting you to show up."

I nodded, playing it off. "I wasn't sure if you were going to be here or not, or if you had a finale or something."

"Yeah right!" then he finished in his mind. _Like you didn't already know my whole schedule already, plus everyone I come in contact with too._

Bingo. Opening.

"Speaking of those you come in contact with" I said as he moved out of the door way to let me through "who's that little black headed girl you been talking to?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Like you have to ask?"

I raised my eyebrow again, wondering why he was speaking out loud to me.

He must have understood my questioning gaze because he told me silently, _my roommate is here_.

I nodded my head, and then continued. "I know who she is, and I know how you feel about her. But I want _you_ to tell me." we walked into his living room. He sat in a recliner while I sat on the couch. I knew from his thought that he was questioning my motives but he answered my question anyway.

He didn't tell me anything I didn't know, except maybe that there was just something about her that he just couldn't live without. I kept nodding my head through the whole process. But my mind kept wondering to Bella.

Bella, with that long brown hair that she played with when she was nervous.

Bella, who was always watching her feet as she walked because she was so clumsy that she could be considered handicap.

Bella, whose brown eyes shinned with light from within whenever she smiles.

And how I wished her eyes would shine like that toward me.

I could understand about what Jasper was saying that there's just something about her. Understood completely.

"So is she coming to the game tonight?"

He leveled his eyes at me. "Probably, she usually does." He started to sound uneasy. "Edward, I don't want you to go around snooping on her." _**Too late Bro! **_"If there's something I need to know about Alice, I want to find it out myself, and not from my brother."

"Relax, I'm not going to do anything," _**to her **_"I was just asking a simple question."

He started breathing calmly again. "So are you going to the game?"

"Umm…" I made a face.

"Right, I forgot." Jasper shook his head. "Too many people."

I agreed. Besides dealing with all the bodies being in one room, I also had to deal with all the thoughts from those bodies as well.

Sometime after that I left. Jasper and I ran out of things to talk about, because let's face it. We don't have the best family relationship.

I decided that it was best if I came clean with my other family members as I walked across campus to where my apartment was.

I still hadn't let them know that I couldn't read Bella's mind. And they just assuming that I can. It's not like we've ever had this problem before.

I sent a text to dad and Rose telling them I needed to speak to them

I knew mom and dad where at the hotel and it wouldn't take them very long to get to the apartment. Also Rosalie and Emmett were in the library keeping an eye on Bella. They both sent a text back saying they would see me at the apartment.

I wasn't really paying attention while I was walking across the quad, since it was the fastest way back to the apartment. Several thought would invade, but I wasn't worried about those thoughts. Bella's name wasn't in them.

As I continued to walk across campus there was one thought made me stop in my tracks.

_Edward…we know what you can do._

I stopped walking, my head snapped up looking around me. People were all around; the quad was the busiest of the campus. But it was daytime, which meant that the vampires couldn't hide outside unless they wanted people to think they're freaks because they sparkle in the sunlight. I didn't see anyone who stood out, in a sparkling manor that is. Nor did I see anyone who was looking at me other than admiration. No one was looking at me out of anger or disdainfully. Not that I could see anyway.

Not only did I not see anyone, the thoughts were coming in a big jumbled mess because I let my guard down.

I turned back to my original path and hurriedly started in that direction, trying to get out of the mass of people.

Right before I stepped on another path off of the quad, one thought sounded about the others.

_You can't save her._

* * *

"Let me get this straight you heard someone thinking that they know what you can do, and then they said you can't save her?"

I nodded my head for the umpteenth time Carlisle asked that question.

I was pacing back and forth in front of all of them. Esme, Carlisle, Rose and Emmett as they looked at me with various thoughts.

Esme was concerned. Rose thought I finally blew the gasket.

I held the bridge of my nose as I tried to calm my breathing.

That thought, that whispered voice, was the same one from the day in the bookstore. And what was said today wasn't helping my sanity at all.

"So, whoever-"

"Whatever." I interrupted Carlisle.

"Okay, whatever it was apparently knows about your mind reading abilities. And they know that you were sent here to read Bella's thoughts." I stopped mid stride to turn to him. "But why would they say you can't save her?" Carlisle mused.

I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off.

"They're vampires!" Emmett reasoned. "Of course they think that Edward can't save her."

"I guess that's true." Carlisle said to Emmett.

"I still don't get the whole Edward can't save her bit." Rosalie said. "Why only Edward?"

"Maybe they don't know about the rest of the family being here." Esme answered.

The whole time they talked back and forth I tried to find an opening to tell them what they needed to know.

Finally Carlisle looked at me. "Are you sure you haven't gotten anything form Bella's thoughts?"

This was my in. I sat down hoping to gain the courage to tell them the truth. "I can't read her mind." I told them quietly.

There was a long silence before Emmett asked "What?"

Then all hell broke loose.

"What do you mean you can't read her mind?" Rosalie stood up from her spot, furious.

"Really? You can't?" Carlisle asked.

"You mean you've been spending all this time here not doing anything but following her around like a sick puppy all this time?" Rosalie continued.

_Dude! He can't read her mind. That's awesome! _Emmett thought.

"I wonder why you can't." Carlisle asked mainly to himself.

"Why didn't you just come home just come home when you knew that you couldn't do the job?" Rosalie asked.

_Edward? _Esme thought. I turned to look at her. I could see her analyzing everything I've done over the past few months, and what would have been my motives for doing them. _You're in love with her!_

I just sat there and stared at Esme. How she could come up with that explanation was beyond me. I thought about what Esme had thought as Rosalie was calling me selfish and too proud for my own good, and why couldn't I had just told them that I couldn't read her mind and Carlisle was trying to figure out a way that maybe he could find out why I couldn't read her thoughts. What was it about her that made it impossible?

As I continued to ignore Rosalie and think about what Esme figured out, there was only one thing I could do. I had to figure out a way to not be in love with Bella. She deserves a normal life.

And that was something I could never give her.

* * *

AN~ Chapter 2 is the start of Bella's story.

Read and review. Love ya!

~Sky.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Edward_

Later that night, I followed the rest of the family to the game.

Well, I arrived a long time after anyone else did. Rosalie sent me a text saying that Bella was inside with Alice. The text finished with the words "Idiot."

Ah…my loving sister.

So this is how I found myself sitting in the lobby of the gym, when _they _walked out. At first I didn't know _who_ they were, that was until their thoughts were directed at me.

_Look…its Edward,_ thought the female of the group. I turned to actually study the group of three. There were two males and one female. When they had first walked around the corner, I didn't really pay attention to them, why would I really, this is a basketball game. But taking a closer look at them, I could see that their eyes were red.

They were vampires.

And I couldn't do anything about them, us being in a public place and all.

The woman smirked at me again. _Can't do anything about us can you?_ She blew me a kiss.

One of the guys rushed out the door, while the other looked over his shoulder, and then looked at me, smiling. _You can't save her._

His was the same voice, this whispering I've been hearing for a while now.

He smiled wider when I clinched my hands into fist. I wanted to do something. Stop them from whatever they had planned, but there were too many people milling around.

And they knew it.

They followed the other guy outside. I followed them with my eyes, trying to figure out where they were going.

There were less people outside. They wouldn't notice as much. I was going to follow them outside, when I felt eyes on me. I turned to see Bella staring at me; her brown eyes staring into mine. Wide eyed.

Alice pulled on Bella's arm to face her. They weren't too far away for me to hear what Alice was thinking. _That crazy girl._

Whatever Alice said to her, made her walk again. But her gaze stayed on me. It wasn't until I noticed that Alice was pulling her towards the door. I started to get up. They didn't need to go out there; they were walking right into whatever traps the vampires Hs set up.

"Hey! That's my car!" Alice screeched as she pulled Bella hard in the direction of the door. Now I knew what the vampires wanted. They wanted a reason for the girls to come to them.

"You don't want to go out there." I said quickly. Bella turned to look at me. I was trying to figure what would be the best thing to do. I had already started to pull my phone out when Alice screeched again, this time outside the door. "Wait!" I called again. Shit! What was I going to do now?

Shit, shit, shit! I hurriedly sent a text to my family, informing them of what was going on outside. Even if I did fight them off, I couldn't do much else. This was a public place, and I was going to need some help. After I sent the text, I rushed out the door.

"Hey! Stop!" I heard Bella screamed. She started walking toward the vampires. I didn't know why at first; why shoe would do that, since they were obviously a threat. But then I saw why she would go towards them.

One of the guys had Alice in his arms, biting her.

_**Ah, hell!**_

There were two vampires headed towards Bella from both sides; the other male and the female. The female took one look at me, and stopped, then she headed in the other direction, I reached her before she got away, taking the knife I had in my boot and stabbing her in the base of her neck. I couldn't remove the blade in time, as the guy who had been racing towards Bella, changed course to aide her. I hit the guy upside the head. I knew that it wouldn't keep them down for long but I hoped that it would for a little while though.

I looked to Bella; she was still staring at Alice's attacker.

I grabbed Bella from behind hand, before she could do anything stupid. She started scratching me. "Hey!" I turned her around. She looked up at me wide eyed, I was sure that she didn't know it was me that grabbed her. I couldn't have her being here, to do what I needed to do with the other vampire, who let go of Alice once the women vampire was down. I could tell from his thoughts he didn't understand how I had the upper hand on them. He must not know that we are vampire hunters the way that she did. She also knew that I was sending in reinforcements.

And I couldn't let Bella see what was going to happen to the vampires, not in the state that she was already in.

My car was close; I started digging out my keys. "Run" I said to her. She just stared at me.

"What?" she blinked.

"Run!" I repeated, pointing to my car, several spaces away. It wouldn't be hard to miss. I threw her the keys, surprised with she caught them. "Go!" I pushed her towards the car, since she was just standing there. Finally she started moving, and I turned around to finish what I started.

Turning away from her, hurried to catch the vampire that had bitten Alice. He was thinking of leaving. The other male vampire was moaning on the ground, when I attacked the other one, stunning him. I hurriedly picked up Alice who was slumped against her car, and ran toward mine. Bella had started the car and headed towards us.

"Pop the seat up." I said as she opened the door. She did as she was told; I all but threw Alice in the back seat, making sure that she was sitting up, before I got in the front. "Drive!" I tried not to think about someone else driving my car. I freaked when I found out Emmett and Rosalie would be driving it down. And I at least _knew_ them.

She just stared at me. "Wha-?

"Drive! To your apartment! Go!" I didn't really have time to explain everything to her right now. I saw my family make their way out of the gym. So I knew that that part was going to be taken care of. She started to drive, and I let out a breath of air. Bella shrieked then slammed on the breaks. A figure jumped on the hood.

It was the first vampire that I had stunned. I had hoped that he would have stayed out longer than that.

_**Fuck!**_

"Damn it, Bella, drive!" She started burning rubber. As the car started fishtailing, I realized my mistake. I called her Bella. When I shouldn't know what her name was.

As the scenery passed by, I didn't talk to her. I sat there and thought that things could have been a lot worse than they actually were tonight. And the only one who got hurt was Alice, but I knew from her thoughts that she was just unconscious, that there was no venom in her system. So that was something to be thankful for.

When we finally made it to her apartment, Bella turned off the car and reached for the door.

"Wait!" I called out, scanning the neighborhood. I guessed that there were more vampires waiting for Bella than just the ones from the game. I knew if I were a vampire I would want a few to go in before me, to gather information. And I wasn't completely wrong on that thought; shadows lined the outside of their apartment that I knew shouldn't be there. I looked back at her, there wasn't much light, so I could only imagine those brown eyes looking at me in confusion. "Do you have your keys ready?"

She fumbled for her keys digging in her purse, finally bringing them out, all the while never taking her eyes off me. She was shacking, and I couldn't make myself think about how scared she truly was. We didn't have time for that.

"I want you to run to that door as fast as possible." She opened her mouth to say something, but there wasn't time. "No, run! I'll be right behind you, with her." I nodded my head to the back where Alice was. "Got it?"

She nodded her head. But I think it had more to do with that she had no choice.

"Now when we get through the door, I want you to lock it as fast as possible, okay?" she nodded again. "Ready?" I asked, with one hand on the door the other on the seat. She nodded once more. "Go!" I jumped out quickly, popping the seat up, grabbing Alice as fast as I could.

I just hoped Bella didn't trip.

Once I got Alice out of the car and slammed the door shut, I saw Bella already running in front of us toward the door. Good, her feet were working tonight. She was almost to the door, when she started slowing down.

And I saw why.

A person was rushing towards her from the other side. And I can only assume that the person was a vampire. "No! Bella!" I called; I started running faster; as did she. She made it to the door, opening it faster than I thought possible. I ran in behind her. "Shut it!" I rushed to the couch to place Alice on it, and then looked back at Bella. She was slumped up against the door, trying to catch her breath. She shrieked when, I assume, the vampire threw its body at the door.

I went to her, turning her around to face me, tugging her chin up to look me in the eye.

"Hey, it's okay." I said. "You're fine." Well…it was mostly true. Her eyes went to Alice. "Where is her bedroom?" she told me it was the right; the one with the pink door. I already, though, but I couldn't let her know that. "You have a first aid kit? Bring it." I picked Alice up and carried into her bedroom, where I figured she would be more comfortable.

And the first thing I noticed was a picture of Jasper on her wall. It was one of those basketball posters the school gives out to the fans. It also made me think about how pissed off he would be at me when he found out what happed to Alice. "Thanks" I said to Bella, once she handed me the first aid kit, taking my thoughts and eyes away from Jasper. I started to clean the blood off Alice's neck, to see how bad the wound was. It wasn't that bad, but it was going to hurt for a few days. But if Alice is the way I think she is, she probably won't let it affect her.

"Is she going to be okay?" Bella asked.

"She's going to be fine. There was no venom." I said, and then realized that I probably said the wrong thing. I shouldn't have said _that_.

"Venom?"

"Are you okay?" I asked her, sidestepping her question. I wasn't ready to talk to her yet…about that.

"Does it matter?" of course it matters…why wouldn't it? She was too worried about Alice to care about herself right now.

I sighed. "She's going to be a little tired and sore. But fine nonetheless." I looked at her then" She's lost a lot of blood, not enough where she would need a transfusion, but enough to make her weak for a while."

"What were they?" She asked softly. So she noticed that they weren't normal.

"Vampires" he sighed.

"Vampires?" She asked incredibly. "Vampires? Seriously?"

"Yes."

"Vampires don't exist!"

_**Obviously they do.**_

It's not possible!" She spoke again.

"It is!" I insisted. "They're vampires."

"Why are thy after her?" She motioned towards Alice's sleeping body.

Moment of truth.

"There not after her." I said calmly.

"But they attacked her; bit her!"

I shook my head. "They're after you. She was just merely in the way."

"Me? Why?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out."

Then I told her I was sent here…to watch her. How I knew her name, background, and why I decided to show myself to her. Since nothing else had seemed to be working.

"But I don't know why they're after me."

"So I know now."

* * *

I finally got her to leave Alice's room, for the second time. Telling her it was probably best if we let her rest. She agreed, but I think it was more for Alice's benefit, than doing what I wanted her to do.

I thought it would be best if Bella ate something. Because no matter how much she denied it, she should eat something, so she wouldn't go into shock. I stopped what I was doing when Bella's voice ranged out. "You know all this stuff about me but I don't know anything about you?" And I couldn't let her know anything about me. Not really. I was still trying to not _like_ her. Swell job I was doing there.

"What do you want to know?" I asked. Even though I couldn't really tell her much at this point. I didn't want to scare her too bad.

"Well, your name for starters would be nice."

I threw me a glace over my shoulder "It's Edward" I turned back to rummaging through the cabinets.

"Edward?" she questioned. "That's a really old fashioned name." I just shrugged my shoulders. There wasn't really a reply I could do towards that. "Okay then..." I heard her mumble. I smiled slightly to myself, pulling out my phone to text Emmett and Rose, telling them that they needed to bring some food with them when they came. Emmett texted back saying that it was already done.

I walked towards Bella. "You know, you guys have no food right?" she said the reason was because they weren't supposed to be here after tomorrow. Then she said that I should know that already, since I had been following her around. "I did know that." I replied. I got my phone back out, texting Esme, telling her that we needed to change the flights. Because there was no way that Alice was going to be able to travel tomorrow.

"You know, you're a great conversationalist!" She said sarcastically.

I paused in the button pushing, gracing at her then smiled. . "You're a little firecracker aren't you?"

"No, I'm not." She rebuked. "Just annoyed!"

Couldn't really help her on that. "I'm still thinking you may go into shock."

"I'm not in shock, you jackass! I'm annoyed. You're not talking to me, I don't know what's going on, besides the fact that you've been _stalking_ me for the past two weeks and-"

"Months." I interrupted cutting her off. I might as well tell her the truth on that.

"What?" He eyes shot up to mine. But I was still looking at my phone…well, trying to at least. I was getting text in from Esme, Carlisle, and surprise…Jasper. The game must be over and someone must have told him what happened, and to whom. Because he wasn't happy. At all.

"You said two weeks, but it's been more like two months."

"Ah, lovely!" She sarcastically sighed. I tried not to smile at her. "Ugh!" She threw her hands in the air. "You made me lose track of what I was trying to say!"

"Thank God." I mumbled, her voice was doing things to me that it probably shouldn't, and I wasn't sure how much I could take.

"What?" She snapped.

That was clearly the wrong thing to say, and now since I've said it, I might as well roll with it. "Well, you're clearly talking because you like the sound of your own voice, sweetheart."

"Excuse me?"

"You're excused." I said. Jasper sent another text. Saying 'how dare I let that happen to Alice'.

"That's not what I meant!"

"Trust me, princess, I know!" I huffed. Having two people mad at me at one time was a lot of work to keep up with.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Well, I know I'm the guy that saved your life!" I snapped. Couldn't think of anything better at the time.

"Yes, and I forgot to say thank you…so thank you." She looked me in the eye.

.

I unclenched my jaw. Why did I think that she was going to say something more? "You're welcome."

"But you're still not helping matters!"

"Who-" I slammed my hand down on the table. She flinched. "Do you ever give up?" I asked.

"It wouldn't be so bad if you would talk to me!" She shot back.

"I am talking to you." As much as I can anyway.

"I meant without the aggression."

I turned back to my phone "I don't have time for this."

"You're free to leave!"

_**That's great!**_ "And what are you gonna do when they come back?"

"Well," she started, but I interrupted.

"Nothing! That's what you're going to do!" he snapped. "Let me do my job! I wasn't sent here to baby sit!"

"Then leave!" She pushed her chair back. I acted quickly, pushing mine back as well.

Before she could even react, I had her cornered against the wall.

"Look here," I growled. "You are the most stubborn girl I have ever met!" my fingertips dug into her hips as I pushed her harder into the wall. "Why can't you just be grateful and shut the _fuck_ up?" I was breathing heavily through clinched teeth. But so was she.

Then my anger changed to something else as my sense of smell was assaulted with the scent of strawberries. There was also the hint of freesia of her lotion.

As I stood there looking at her trying to decide what to do with this lustful emotion I was going through, a Pink song came into my head, as her eyes fluttered shut.

'_How did I become so obnoxious?_

_What is it with you that makes me act like this?_

_I've never been this nasty_

_Can't you tell this all just a contest_

_The one that wins will be the one that hit's the hardest_

_But baby I don't mean it'_

I decided to just act in on it. But as soon as I made up my mind, something else broke though.

'_Ah, me so horney. Ah, ah, me so horney. Ah me so horney. Me love you long time'_

_**Fuck!**_

I broke away from her. I saw her eyes pop open as I turned away and pulled out my phone out of my pocket. I rushed to get out of the kitchen; I didn't think I could stand in there with her after that.

"Emmett? What the hell did you do to my phone?" Emmett was the only person that would put that as his ring tone, while all my other callers were on vibrate. His only response was laughter. "It's not funny!" I repeated, he laughed again.

I heard movement from behind me, and whirled around to see Bella standing in the doorway of the kitchen. I had hoped that she would have stayed in the kitchen. No such luck there. I was so involved with wishing Bella would go into the kitchen that I almost missed Emmett telling me that they were outside the apartment. I didn't get a chance to tell them to look out for shady characters out there.

Aka…vampires.

The doorbell rang, and Bella turned towards the door. What was she thinking? Was she crazy? After everything that has happened and she's going to answer the door, when she has no idea who's on the other side.

Crazy!

I reached out and grabbed her arm before she could make it too far, and Bella being Bella, fell backwards

Right into my arms.

The place I wanted her to be the most…but also the place she couldn't be either. She looked up at me, and I quickly made sure she was upright before I did something stupid. Like full on make out with her.

"Watch where you're going! And don't answer the door." I snapped, turning away from her, heading towards the door. I couldn't let her have any type of effect on me. Even though I kept telling myself that, when hurt flashed in her eyes, I wanted to get down on both knees and beg for her forgiveness.

And that's why I can't let her get to me.

I opened the door, as Emmett pushed me out of the way, carrying several boxes of pizza. "Hey Eddie!" I groaned, he was so annoying. Rosalie came in behind him, followed by Carlisle. Carlisle looked grimly towards me as Emmett and Bella started talking about some kind of pizza place.

_Edward? How bad is it?_ Carlisle's thoughts came to me. I told him what I knew, about the three vampires being at the game, their trap, what they did, and about the female knowing about me. Then I asked was everything taken care of.

He nodded his head, and took a step inside, then looked back at me. _Jasper's upset with you._

_**Tell me something I don't know.**_

Carlisle turned to Bella then, introducing himself, while her eyes were permanently glued to his doctors' bag. Carlisle smiled. _I guess that part in her background was true. About her being in the hospital a lot when she was younger._

I might have laughed if I wasn't still thinking about Jasper. I knew that he was still sending text to me, I just stopped reading them.

"So where is your friend?" he looked from Bella to me. I refused to look in any of their directions. _I know Jasper blames you for what happened. But it could have happened regardless. _Carlisle sent the thought in my direction, before he headed to the room with the pink door. I vaguely heard Emmett and Rose talking about a pink door; he told her she would have a pink door too, if she could. Meaning that he wasn't allowing her to have one is what his thoughts said. Good thing Rose didn't know about that, she'd have a pink door just because he thought that.

Right before Carlisle went into Alice's room, he looked to Bella. "You should probably eat." He said. I felt a smirk coming on, but held it in. considering what I know about Bella, she probably thought I put him up to that, when, in fact, it was him who told me to make she ate something in the first place.

"I guess I'll get some paper plates." Bella looked to us. Her expression wasn't too happy.

Emmett's replay was only too excited. "Hell yeah!" he fist bumped the air. Then saw Bella's expression. "What? I like to eat!"

Rose decided to help Bella, carrying the bags of grocery they bought into the kitchen. Once they were out of sight. Emmett turned to me, a sly smile covering his face.

I was almost afraid to ask what was on his mind, even though I could read it, but sometimes with Emmett his mind is just scary.

_Little Eddies' got it bad_

"What?" that's not what I was expecting. His mind was filled of thoughts of Bella. But as I took a closer look, I realized that I was in most of them. I looked at Emmett incredulously. How is it that _he_ can realize my feelings, but Rose, my sister, cannot?

"Don't look at me like that Eddie." He said to me. I reframed from groaning at the nickname. I hated it…and he knew it. So that meant that he just uses it more. "I may be a guy, but it just makes sense that you like Bella."

"Why?" Someone needed to explain it to me, because I sure didn't understand it.

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Dude, you can't read her mind, so that made you pay more attention to her in the first place. I always figured if you were going to settle down that it would be with someone like her, where you can't read her mind. Also thought it was kind of strange when you denied orders to return to Chicago. You never deny orders. So I figured it was something big like you falling for someone. And I think she's nice. I mean, I don't know much about her, but in all, she's cool. And I think you need someone like her. Maybe she could make you less…well, you. Maybe you won't be so uptight anymore."

_**Wishful thinking Emmett.**_

"But how did you come up with that? You would think Rose would be the one in here having this talk with me." Then I snorted. "On second thought, no she wouldn't."

"Dude, I love Rosalie, but she's not very big on emotions. And I guess that's why she has me. Since she calls me her big-"

"Dude…I don't want to know!"

"I was going to say teddy bear." Emmett reasoned, laughing. Then he sobered up. "What are you going to do about Jasper?"

I shrugged my shoulder. "The same as always ignore him."

Emmett shook his head. "You should try and fix whatever beef you two have with each other."

There wasn't really _beef_ until tonight. Besides, Jasper knew all the rest of it. The reason I didn't like being around him. I had told him everything before he left Chicago. He wasn't happy about it, but he was mostly okay with it.

Rosalie may her way to Emmett with a plate on a drink. Bella showed up right after her.

"Here" Bella said, handing me a plate and cup. I gave me a slight smile, but didn't look up.

"So," Bella started, grabbing a piece of pizza. "We have an extra bedroom, and the couch and love seat both fold out."

Emmett looked at Rosalie, with a sly smile. "We call dibs on the bedroom. This leaves Eddie boy and Jazzie on the coach and love seat."

I winced. "Don't call me Eddie, Em!" I said softly.

The doorbell sounded again. I jumped up at once. Looking through the peep hole before opening the door, ushering whoever it was in. There were two people standing outside the door. My mom and_ it_.

Jasper

I closed the door, as Emmett shouted. "Jazz!"

Jasper looked up from the floor, looking up at Bella.

"Hey, Bella!" Jasper said softly, his voice cracking.

"Jasper? Jasper Cullen?" Came Bella's voice.

"Ah, so I see you've met my brother" I said with resentment to said brother. It wasn't hard, considering all the thoughts he was throwing at me.

_Why in the hell did you not tell me? Is this the reason you were asking about Alice? I could _kill_ you for letting this happen to her!_

"Your…your brother?"

"Yeah, brothers. You know generally those who share one or both parents, or legally-" I was staring daggers at the back of Jasper's head. He still hadn't looked at me. I knew he wasn't ignoring me. But not everyone else knew that.

"Edward!" Esme interrupted whatever I was saying to Bella. _Don't act this way in front of her._

She was right; I shouldn't be acting like this in front of Bella. But something about her just pisses me off right now. I'm not sure if it's because I can't read her thoughts and know what's really going on with her, or if I'm glad I can't read her thought because of the same reason.

I opened my mouth to respond to what Bella said, but was cut off again by Esme saying something about teaching me better than the way I was acting and hat I wasn't too old to have a good beating.

Bella looked happy by that outcome.

I was still too pissed at Jasper for her happiness to do me any good. Even though, I keep telling myself that I shouldn't care if she's happy or not, but apparently I'm not listening very well to myself.

I saw that Jasper was holding a rose for Alice. Actually, I thought the yellow and pink rose had Alice written all over it. I guess Bella did too, since she took him into the kitchen for a vase. I followed them with my eyes, until Emmett's thoughts broke through my concentration.

_Like I said, dude, you've got it bad._

Like in my usual Emmett fashion. I choose to ignore him. But that was after my eyes cut to him in the room. I wanted to knock that smug look right off his face. But I didn't.

Because I knew that Rosalie would retaliate.

I sat down on the couch, not only trying to ignore Emmett's smug ass self, but also the profanities coming from the kitchen from Jasper. Not that he was saying anything out loud for anyone else to hear him.

I got a slice of pizza hoping that if I chewed loudly enough, that everyone would be blocked out.

No such luck.

And it was starting to give me a headache. Which I'm sure was Jaspers intentions in the first place. Because he knows that too much noise is the reason I don't do large groups of people.

Eventually Jasper left the kitchen heading toward Alice's room carrying the rose in a vase, and Bella sat beside me on the couch.

As far away she could get without being on the floor.

I guess the feeling was mutual when it came to the whole being pissed off. Apparently I push her buttons the same way she pushes mine.

Well, not all the same. She'd be crazy if she wanted to be with me the way I want to be with her. But part of me still hoped a little that she did, even though I know it wouldn't do her any good.

Even with her sitting on the other side of the couch, I could still smell the strawberry hair stuff that she uses, and the lingering scent of the freesia lotion that I sniff every night while I'm in her bedroom.

Yes I know…I'm ashamed of myself. But only a little.

But what I'm most ashamed about is what it reminded me of earlier tonight. When I first caught a whiff of the strawberry in her hair. I should have kissed her when I had the chance.

I got up and started pacing, telling Rose 'no', when Bella asked about Jasper. I already had to deal with him too much already, I didn't need to listen to the 'problems' I supposedly had with him.' I decided to think about my own problems for once.

_**Maybe it was good that I didn't kiss Bella. Physically, probably. Mentally was another question all together.**_

I snorted at the thought, and both Bella and Rosalie looked at me. Rosalie scolded me silently saying that I shouldn't do that. They thought that I was snorting because of the topic, and I didn't even know what the topic was about.

Then I realized that they were talking about Jasper. So I figured it worked either way. I decided that this was going to take a long time, and slide down the wall until I was in sitting position on the floor. I couldn't bring myself to sit by Bella right now.

Then I realized what they were saying with the topic of Jasper.

Apparently Jasper was staying in this apartment.

The apartment that I recently discovered was a safe haven for me, because it was quiet.

More importantly, Bella was quiet.

And even though, I couldn't really_ hear _Jasper right now, I knew that he was here. So that kind of ruined things for me.

"Fuck!" I whispered yelled while they were still talking. Bella looked at me. It was either a concerned look or annoyance. I would go more with the second one.

Rosalie continued explaining about the "Jasper situation", about him coming to Baylor for college. "But Edward took it harder. He saw it as Jasper running out on his family; not doing his duty."

I sighed. That wasn't _all_ the reason.

I was so far down into my internal musings that I almost missed Bella asking "So what is this family business?"

Rosalie paused, exchanging a look with Emmett. _Edward, how much should we tell her?_

My thought was: _**screw it…lets tell her everything. Why not?**_

"You remember the vampires from tonight, right?" I couldn't look at her. I could still picture the scared expression she had when I ran toward them in the parking lot. I couldn't bear to see her like that again. I didn't want a reminder when she thought about it. "We help people fight against them."

"Okay?"

"It's the reason I'm still here." well, not the _only_ reason. I said something about being dedicated to her cause, because I didn't, nor did anyone else, know why they were after her.

And how did she repay me? By talking about Jasper! Here I was trying to actually try to have a normal conversation with her. Or as normal as a conversation can be with the subject being vampires, and then she wants to know why I won't talk to my brother.

Well…right now, he's too busy showing me the different ways he can either kill me or hurt me beyond recognition. Is that what she wanted to hear?

No.

So I talked about the only thing I could think of. Her mother. Who I figured that Bella would hold a little bit of a grudge for, considering that Renee Swan left an infant Bella with the father and hit the road out of town.

Apparently it didn't work out the way I wanted it to.

Bella didn't even pause while she put me in my place.

And it only made me fall in love with her a little bit more. The exact opposite of the outcome I wanted. Well, the part that wanted to keep Bella safe anyway.

But it did make me a little angry when my whole family cheered her on…especially when they didn't know the _whole_ truth. They just made assumptions about why I apparently didn't like Jasper.

I liked him just fine. I _was_ just jealous (the assumption that Bella came up with, being the closest reason anyone had ever came up with. You would think my family would, but they didn't) that he got to live a normal life, while I was the freak that could hear people's thoughts.

I took my place back on the wall as Carlisle started telling Bella about our family and how we started hunting vampires. Then he went into the differences in the vampires who drank human blood and animal blood.

After that is when he told her about the whole 'me being her boyfriend'.

I groaned loudly while he was explaining it to her. Although part of me was thrilled. But the other part didn't know that she was so damn hard headed before and was having second thoughts.

I tuned them out for a while. The only parts of their conversation were coming through. The one part that really came through was when Bella blamed herself for Alice being hurt.

"It's not your fault!" I harshly said, jumping from my spot on the floor. How could she think that? After a second I realized what I did.

I was taking up for her.

Publicly.

_Why is he acting like he cares now? _Rosalie thought. Sometimes my sister was oblivious to everything going on around her.

Emmett just smirked, with the thought: _I told you so! _How it was that _he_ knew how I felt and Rose didn't…I wasn't too sure.

I made all emotion leave my face. "At least, not entirely." I sat down when Esme scolded me.

I listened to why Bella thought she was to blame; it was because Jasper felt he was some sort of blame.

This wasn't entirely true.

Actually what Jasper didn't tell them what the he blamed me for Alice's injuries.

I'd much rather be the blame than Bella thinking she is.

"What could Jasper have done? We left while the game was still going on." Bella asked

"Maybe she would have stayed if she knew how he felt?" Emmett reasoned.

"If that were the case, we probably wouldn't have been there in the first place, considering it was a tactic to get him to notice her.

He noticed her…trust me.

"I think he's thinking more along the lines of that he could have taught her better ways of defending herself."

"What? Are you defending him now? That's a shocker!" She turned her angry eyes towards me. It was times like now when I either wanted her to shut up or find the nearest flat surface to use that emotion for other purposes.

"It's what I would have done." I answered. Which it may still come in handy. Need to file that for later.

Bella said she thought I should have done that back when I first showed up.

She doesn't know how bad I wished I could have down that.

Then she wanted to know why Jasper didn't tell them.

"Jasper didn't know." I said, when my whole family voiced silently: Edward!

"Meaning no one told him?"

"Meaning he didn't know I was here."

Bella remark was that I was a jerk for not talking to Jasper for the months I was in the same town. What they didn't know was that I did talk to him…it just wasn't until this morning.

* * *

The next morning, Bella woke up early, and was snaking around the couch where I had _slept_ last night. Sleeping wasn't something I really do, plus all my anger washed away somewhere around three this morning, and I snuck into Bella room to watch her sleep. I realized that she probably doesn't like anyone to know when she upset or scared. So she doesn't tell anyone.

Her dreams do, however.

I sat there as she squirmed and whimpered in her sleep, wishing I could do something, anything, to help her. I wasn't anything I could do…but talk to her. Not really sure how much that helped, but at least it got her dreams away from the vampires. So now instead of being scared…she was annoyed.

There was one instant that she said "Edward" in a mumble as she turned over on her side. I almost thought she woke up, and froze in place. But then she sighed then asked "Why?"

She didn't say much after that, but my mind kept going back to the 'why?' what did the 'why' have to do with. Why was I an asshole? Why did I never talk to Jasper? Why do I fight vampires? Why am I in this room?

There was a lot of 'whys' that I could answer.

Anyway, when she sneaked around the couch I grabbed her wrist.

"Is there a reason you're snaking around?" I had my other arm over my eyes, but I knew it was her.

Strawberries were in the air, as was the freesia. You would think that the two smells would counter act with each other, but it really didn't. The smells were really subtle. Many people wouldn't even notice.

I only noticed because I'm a little obsessed.

Bella started talking about thinking last night was a dream. _**Sorry darlin'…but I'm not going anywhere.**_

It was the first conversation that we had that we weren't fighting, or calling each other names. It was very pleasant. Plus it was quiet…very quiet. I liked the fact that I could be around Bella and not read her thoughts, even though sometimes I really wanted to know what was going on in her mind. But moments like these really made me want to take her away to a small town away from everything else…and just live in the quiet.

I'm really thinking that in my life now, that's what I would really like to do.

I'd just have to get Bella to agree with that…and I don't really see that happening.

I promised Bella that I would help out with breakfast, after I took a shower. No, I don't know how to cook, I told her when she asked. Then she started telling me I could use the shower that was connected to her room, and started telling me how to get there. It wasn't like I could tell her, 'oh…you don't have to explain, I know already.'

Yeah, that would give me a creepy stalker vibe for sure.

After the shower, I joined Bella in the kitchen where she had set up a toaster, bread and butter for the toast. Which is what I told her was the only thing I _can_ make.

After a while of me and Bella working in quiet in the kitchen. I sat down at one of the two chairs they had at their table, to watch her cook. Then we heard commotion coming from the living room.

"Alice? Alice! You don't need to get up; you still need to be lying down." I heard Jasper's voice.

"Jazz, I can't just lie in bed for the rest of my life." came Alice's retort.

"Not for the rest of your life Alice. Just for today."

"I'll take it easy, but I'm not staying in that bed."

That was the last thing Alice said, before she came to sit at the table in the other chair. She smiled at me slightly. Jasper came in the room behind her, saw me then clutched his jaw, sighing.

_Edward?_

I was looking at Jasper when that thought came through. I thought it sounded a little funny coming from him, considering that he was still angry with me.

Not as angry as he was last night, but still.

But the voice sounded off, and I started to wonder when Jasper's mental voice started sounding like a girls, when I realized…it didn't come from Jasper.

It came from Alice.

I turned to look at her in question. She smiled a little bigger.

_Can you hear me?_

I nodded my head.

_Jasper told me that you can read minds. I hope you don't mind if I test you on this little endeavor?_

I shook my head no. But then I started to think that me acknowledging her by nodding or shaking my head would work.

But apparently that wasn't good enough for Alice.

"Alice, I'm so sorry!" Bella told her, hugging her tightly.

"What are you sorry for?"

"Well…you know…" Bella trailed off.

Alice smiled "You can make it up to me with breakfast."

"Okay." Bella said, making her way back to the stove. Then Alice looked back at me, as Jasper went to the stove to help Bella, though he was as useless as me when it came to the kitchen.

_Cross your eyes five times in a row._

I raised an eyebrow at her, but did as I was told. Her eyes light up when I finished.

_Pick your nose._ Her eyebrows rose as she thought that.

"No." I wasn't going to do that in public, much less where Bella could see me.

"What?" Bella turned around to look at me.

"Um…nothing." I looked from her to Alice, who looked as innocent as can be.

Bella shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the food in front of her. Alice was holding in her laugh.

_Pat your head and rub your tummy._

I thought about telling her no, it was getting a little ridiculous. But I gave in, and did it anyway.

"Edward?" Bella questioned. I stopped what I was doing, the whole patting my head and rubbing my tummy, and looked over my shoulder at her. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." I tried to play it off, but she just gave me a questioning look, then going back to what she was doing.

Alice was almost turning purple. When her thoughts became more coherent she thought: _Bella thinks you're going crazy_.

_**She was probably right.**_

Alice then smiled slyly at me. I knew then that this was going to be bad.

_Make a silly face at Bella._

I shook my head, but Alice just nodded at me.

I knew I couldn't get away with _not_ doing it.

I sighed and got up out of my chair and walked to where I was standing next to Bella and turned her towards me.

She looked up at me, her brown eyes questioning. "What is it now, Edward?"

I sighed, trying not to roll my eyes. Taking a deep breath I made a silly face at her. Eyes cross, pushing my nose up as I held the corners of my lips wide and stuck out my tongue at her.

She just stared at me for several moments before she raised an eyebrow. "Edward? Why did you just do that?"

I motioned towards Alice. "She told me too."

Bella looked at Alice. Alice just shook her head. "I didn't tell him to do it, that was all him." She insisted. Then Alice looked at me. Sorry, but that's all on you. And I could have stopped a long time ago, but it was just too fun to give up.

"Edward," Bella looked back at me. "Why don't you sit down and stop acting out."

* * *

The next day we went to board the plane and I had to physically put her on the plane myself. She wasn't very happy that when we changed the tickets to the next day, that we also upgraded her and Alice to first class.

Alice smirked, telling me: _She doesn't like gifts. Especially, expensive ones._

Good to know. Guess that saves me from having to _buy_ her something for Christmas.

Bella grumbled the entire flight. I was just glad that I wasn't getting the double dose of it that I usually would.

I was glad when we made it to Sea-Tac Airport. At least it gave Bella less reason to gripe about the seating arrangement.

But actually arriving, gave her something even more to gripe about.

Alice laughed when we made it to the luggage claim area. I didn't know why, the picture in her head didn't make much sense. _But she told me: look over there, 10 o'clock._

I looked to where she was mentally pointing, seeing the man in uniform that was in her thoughts. It still didn't make sense, until Bella groaned.

Then I realized that the man in uniform was Charlie.

_**Yay!**_

_Bet he's doing that for you Edward. _Alice's thought came to me, as we made our way closer to Charlie. She was trying to hold her laughter in. Bella shot her a dark look.

Then his thought came at me. _So this is the guy stealing my daughter away?_

_**What if I'm not stealing her away? What if she came willing?**_

_I already don't like him! _Charlie thought.

Charlie shook my hand, gripping hard.

A test.

I just smirked until he let go, his face turning almost purple. Bella was poking my side, so I let go. Charlie walked away toward the luggage, and I leaned down towards Bella. "I don't think he likes me."

"I don't blame him." but she slightly smiled, so I knew it was a lie.

I kissed her hand, after she said that Charlie had a gun and Alice said we made a cut couple, adding silently to me: _Don't mess it up. Or _I'll_ help Charlie with the murder._

Alice's mom made her way towards me and Bella then.

_Ooh…he's cute! _Came her thought as she told me to call her "Martha", after Bella introduced us. She made me nervous, and then mad with her next thought: _He's really with Bella? How did that happen? _

Bella put her arm through mine, in a possessive gesture that made me a little giddy. I think that it could just be payback from all the possessive moves I made towards her earlier.

Charlie called us to the baggage area, he got Bella's bag for her. But said that he didn't get mine because he didn't know which one it was. I just smiled and said that was okay, while he thought: _I wouldn't get it for you anyway. _

I was still smiling when I picked up my military bag I had since my time in the marines. Charlie asked did I have a thing for camouflage or had I been in a branch of the military. When I told him that I was in the marines, he thought: _Huh? That makes me like him a little more._

We followed Charlie out the front doors. Bella groaned again. I thought it may have been from the cold. Since she told me that was the reason she chose Texas to go to college, because it was always warm. But I realized it was something else when Bella started talking,

"Dad! You promised!"

"What?" Charlie asked. Then I noticed that he was standing beside his cruiser. I knew from his thoughts what his plan was. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

"Edward…in the back."

* * *

read and review.

~Sky


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Between Charlie looking at me in the rearview mirror, with a smug expression that I was in the back seat of a police car, he asked questions. I knew that this was supposed to be a scare tactic. But it didn't scare me. What it did do to me, was somewhere between amusement and annoyance.

But I did answer whatever question he threw at me. He wanted to know about the first time we met. I told him the story about the bookstore. Where I had come upon this beautiful woman reading. I was mainly telling the story for Bella's benefit. I just hoped that she didn't think I was making it up. Then I told Charlie that Bella and I met through Jasper.

Which wasn't _exactly_ a lie. If you think about it in a roundabout way.

He asked about my family, and I told him that they would be in Forks for the Christmas vacation, that Esme was restoring a house outside of town. Charlie was then very hopeful that I _wouldn't_ be staying in his house hold. I would, for now, let him keep thinking that.

During this time, Charlie told Bella that they would be having Christmas dinner with Billy and Jacob. I knew from his thoughts that he was trying to figure out the best time to bring the subject up. I also knew that he only invited them for Christmas dinner was because I was there. I also realized that the 'Jake' from Bella's dreams was the 'Jacob' they were talking about.

Maybe I would get to beat his ass after all!

I started to get upset when Charlie started thinking that maybe Bella and _Jake _could rekindle their feelings for each other. I got that he didn't really know the reason that they broke up. I didn't either, but I'd be damned if I was going to allow that to happen.

When we made it to Bella's house, she decided that we need to go to town to get some food.

Apparently Charlie didn't cook. Which I guess is probably the reason that Bella could. Charlie scolded himself about not getting groceries before she came home.

On the porch, while I waited for Bella to come out, I saw her talking to Charlie. Apparently he was giving her a can of mace. I couldn't hear his thoughts, but I bet Charlie was telling Bella to use it on me, probably to keep me in line. I laughed when she came out side. "Mace?" I asked. She told me to shut up. There was something about her being on the porch, with the blanket of snow as her background that I found beautiful. I really wanted to kiss her. But I stopped myself before I did. I kept telling myself that I'm no good for Bella, but that wasn't the reason I stopped myself from kissing her. The curtains moved in the window. Charlie was watching.

At the store we ran into two girls that Bella went to school with. Their thoughts kind of matched Martha's, with: _What is he doing with her?_

What is it? Why does everyone think that I wouldn't be with Bella? I mean, she's beautiful and smart. And can put me in my place at a drop of a hat. What's not to love? I'll admit, she can be annoying, but then again, she's acting like me, because she only acts like that when I do.

But still…why would me being with Bella be so hard to believe?

One thing I know for sure was that _those _chicks were crazy.

Bella seemed to agree with me.

While we were standing in the aisle, with them acting as though they were Bella's best friends or something. I went through the blonds' head as she talked, since she seemed to be the leader. The other girl didn't talk until after the blond did. What I found in her mind was a little disturbing. Not only because she was a little disturbing, but I started paying attention when the name 'Jacob' flashed through her mind.

Then I started to get mad.

The other girls mind thought the name 'Jacob' too, so I started going through her mind.

Apparently both of these girls had _relationships _with Jacob while he was dating Bella. And I use relationships loosely.

Very loosely.

Also, it was evident that Bella caught the blond in the bed with Jacob.

What a pig.

And Charlie wanted them to get back together.

Yep, that's likely to happen.

Thank God I came up with an excuse to get away from the girls. Not only did I not want to read their desolate little minds, I also didn't want Bella to have to be in their presence for too long.

She already had too much on her plate without having reminders of way back when.

When we finally got back to her house, there was a figure on her front porch. I knew who he was already, from the thoughts of people around me. I had been shown that face a lot in the past few hours.

I still thought about acting like I thought he was a vampire, so I could just do away with him. But I have a feeling that Bella wouldn't like that very much.

Not to mention her police chief father.

_**So…this is Jake?**_

I had to ask anyway, though. I wasn't supposed to know who he was. "Who's that?" I tried to get my voice to sound normal before I did ask. No such luck. I was hoping that Bella didn't notice.

No such luck on that either.

"Jacob" She said. She started shooting me weird looks. Probably because I had a hand on the door handle, my fingers being shaped into it.

That's when I got the idea that I needed to be the perfect boyfriend. Like opening doors or being there for her whenever or whatever she needed me to do.

Like making Jacob hate me.

_**This was going to be fun**_

After helping her out of the cab, taking the bags from her…which she refused. They had a couple of words. Him saying that he had to check up on me to make sure I was good enough for her. Her telling him that he gave up that right a long time ago.

I stood behind her smiling like an idiot. I couldn't help it. Bella's pretty hot when she's pissed off. This might explain _why_ I piss her off so much.

While Bella cooked, Jacob and I just stared at each other. That is, until he thought about asking her if she needed help.

I beat him to it.

_**Muhahahaha!**_

But then the conversation got a little weird, and she asked me why I didn't call her beautiful. It's not that I won't, I just don't want to think about what it would mean if I_ did_ call her beautiful.

Because I really did want to call her that.

And I told her as much.

After dinner I even carried Bella up the stairs for bed. She had just been sitting beside me on the couch, talking out loud. No one else heard her, but I'm sure she said something like that her thigh was her favorite body part or something. Or course I was drawing patterns on her thigh, getting a rise out of Jacob. He was still pretty possessive about her. Either that or he just really didn't like me.

I'm thinking it might be the later, because Bella has been saying things around him to the effect that she and I are having sex. I'm not complaining about that. But apparently she and Jacob dated for about a year, and she never had sex with him. So he's a little perturbed by that.

And me carrying her up the stairs didn't help with his whole not liking me either.

It was great. Her being in my arms, not necessarily the part about him not liking me. Although that was good too.

By the time we made it up the stairs, she had woken up a little, and decided that she wanted to take a shower. I couldn't spend all my time up the stairs, so I went back down with _them_.

Right before I turned the corner to make my way into the living room, Jacob asked something that caused me to stop in my tracks.

"What are we going to do now that she's home Charlie?"

"Well, its better that she's home if it happens, than in Texas."

"Yes," Billy said. "But what will it mean for our family? You know we can't-" He was cut off by a shushing Jacob. It was quiet for several moments, and then I decided that I should show myself.

When I walked around the corner, they were all staring at the TV intently. I tried to go through their thoughts to figure out what they were talking about. But they were thinking about the show.

Charlie looked at me, feigning innocents. "Hey, Edward. Bella go to bed?"

"No sir, she decided to take a shower." Why would he ask that? It's not like he can't hear the water running

He nodded his head. "Ah" He turned back to the show.

If it wasn't for the thoughts going on in the room, I might actually believe that I would feel a _little_ welcome. But no one in the room really wanted me there. When I heard the water turn off, I went up the stairs, telling them good night, that I was going to take a shower since Bella was getting out.

Charlie grunted something unintelligent, and all I got from his thoughts was that I had better not stay up there too long.

While I was getting clothes out to sleep in, I decided to check Bella window, to make sure that it was latched securely. Not that it would stop a vampire, but maybe it would give me enough time to get up the stairs if one did come through her window.

That is, if I am ever _down_ stairs while she's asleep.

I heard movement from the doorway, right before Bella asked "What are you doing?" I told her I was checking her window as I turned around. I almost stopped talking in mid sentence. She was wearing some very short shorts, and a white tank top…with no bra. Bella crossed her arms over her chest, as I tried to return my mind to what I was doing before she walked in.

Window.

Clothes.

Shower.

Wet Bella.

No! Me a shower!

I finally made it out of her room, with my thoughts still intact…for the most part. When I went back into her room, I couldn't help myself. I walked over to her, to see that she was asleep.

"Good night, love." I ran my fingers through her hair.

* * *

During the night, I wondered how long I could stay in Bella's room without waking Charlie. Sometime after midnight, I decided to chance it. I was never one for much sleep anyway. But with Charlie's snores, it was almost impossible.

I found out why, when I made my way up the stairs. He had his door open. I guess thinking that it would stop me from sneaking into his daughters' room. Boy was he wrong. Plus, I wasn't really sneaking into her room for the reasons he thought I was.

On this night, she didn't dream about vampires. She did however dream of me.

At least, she said my name a lot. But there was also Jacob, Charlie and a few others that I couldn't decipher. At one point she said "damn him and his perfect male specimen self."

Not sure why that was in her dream, but it made me wonder who she was taking about.

Early in the morning, Charlie started stirring in his sleep. So I figured that was my queue to head back down the stair. And maybe try to sleep a little more. Although, I wasn't sure how much more I could take on the couch, that thing was of the devil.

Once I settled back on the couch, I heard Charlie come out of his room. His first stop?

Bella's room.

I heard him open the door, and several moments later, I heard it close. His footsteps sounded down the hall coming closer to the stairs. I wanted to see his face when he saw that I was on the couch. But I couldn't…he would think I was up to something. More than he thinks I up to already. Charlie peered from around the corner. I could see myself in his thoughts. _Good, he's on the couch._

Charlie started his way into the kitchen, where I heard him start the coffee maker, and then he headed back up the stairs. Later I heard the shower turn on. I looked at the clock on my phone. It was only six o'clock. I wondered if it would seem funny to Charlie if I were to 'wake up' now. I could just tell him I'm a light sleeper, which is true. It has always been hard for me to sleep around other people. Their thoughts and dreams always invade.

When Charlie came back down dressed in his uniform, I 'started' waking up.

"Oh… good morning Edward. Sorry, did I wake you up?" His thoughts were somewhat sincere. He felt bad at first for waking me up, but then realized it was me.

"No, that's alright." I told him. "I'm a really light sleeper, anyway."

He nodded. That was his only response. He made his way into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee, after he filled up his thermos. "Do you drink coffee?" He called out, after he argued mentally with himself over doing so.

"No, thank you. I don't drink coffee."

"Hot chocolate then?" _Must be just like Bella_, He thought.

"I like Hot Chocolate. But I'll fix myself a cup later."

"Okay." He said, coming out of the kitchen, coming to sit in the recliner. I knew from his thoughts that he already wanted to talk to me about my intentions with his daughter.

"Edward," He paused "what are your intentions with my daughter?"

_**See? What did I tell you?**_

"Mr. Swan," I paused to see if he would correct me….I guess not. "I have very intense feeling about your daughter," that wasn't a lie "and I want her to be happy." That was true too.

"Edward, I'm not going to lie, I don't know you, and that makes me weary." His thoughts were reminding him to run a background check on me.

"I understand sir. It would make me weary if you didn't."

"I just want you to know that if you hurt Bella in _any_ way, I'll hurt you." He looked at me sternly.

I nodded in response.

"And I don't mean that lightly."

I knew from his thoughts that he didn't. It also made me wonder if he ever had this talk with Jacob, because apparently there was some type of miscommunication that went on.

"Now that we got that over with, will you be staying here every night, or only some nights?"

I wanted to tell him every night. But I also knew that there were going to be some nights that I needed to be here without him knowing.

"Only some nights. Me and Jasper are going to be dividing up days that we stay with mom and dad. Mom wants to get the rooms done without someone being there all the time."

"So," Charlie started, taking a sip of coffee. "Will you be staying there tonight?" He looked up at me hopefully. His thoughts told me that he might have to work tonight, to make up for the days off he had to take. I would just tell Charlie that I _was_ going to stay there tonight, but the hopeful look on his face cause me not to.

"No, I'm going to be staying here tonight." I told him, as I stood up, making my way into the kitchen. Now would be as good as any to make that hot chocolate. Charlie huffed, and then rose from the recliner, grabbed up his thermos and walked out the door.

Five seconds later the door opened with Charlie sticking his head in to grab his gun holster, and the keys to his cruiser.

Charlie really didn't want me to be here.

Around eight o'clock, after finishing washing the dishes Charlie and I used, I decided that it was time for Bella to wake up, so we can make our way out to the house that my parents are staying at. I made my way up the stairs to wake her up

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She grumbled, face first into my pillow. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to just drag someone out of bed without trying to wake them up by simply telling them it's time to get up?"

"I've been trying to wake you up. Actually we've had a whole conversation with each other."

"Wha?" She sounded too tired to even finish the sentence

I laughed. "You know, you talk in your sleep right?"

She looked up from the pillow then. "What did I say?" She blushed.

"Well, you told me to leave a couple of times." She smiled in thought about that. I decided to ask about what she said earlier that I wondered about. "You also said 'damn him and his perfect male specimen self'.

She blushed, dropping my head to my chest, not looking at me. She didn't say anything.

_**Why? Why couldn't read her mind?**_

"So, who were you talking about?"

"Uh.…" She looked at me, with a dazed look in her eyes. "Taylor Lautner?" She quickly looked away.

_**Taylor Lautner?**_

"Taylor Lautner, huh?" She nodded her head, biting her bottom lip. Something told me not to believe her.

She told why she said his name, I didn't listen to her. She rose up from lying down, and I started laughing.

"What? He's hot, okay."

"I wasn't laughing at that. I was laughing at your hair."

She touched her hair. "What's wrong with my hair?"

"Your hair looks like a haystack." I looked at her hair. I thought it was really cute. I had to stop myself from smiling at her, so I lied. "I don't like it." then shook my head.

"Well I'm sorry that not all of us can wake up in the morning looking like a super model." she said sarcastically.

"You're just not trying hard enough." I joked.

She hit me with a pillow. After I dodged her pillow a few times, I told her about Charlie. She flopped on the bed on her back, putting the pillow over her head.

"He gave the speech of not hurting you, or he'd have to hurt me. I'm wondering if he ever had that conversation with Jacob. He could have used it."

She groaned. Then told me not to annoy Charlie, because he has a gun. "No...Wait. On second thought, annoy him all you want!"

"Don't kid yourself. You know you'd be lonely without me around."

"Believe me, I could survive."

* * *

After Bella got ready to go, and had talked to Alice to find out that she and Jasper were going out to the house too. Alice offered to drive us out there, since she was driving her father's new car. But I decided that Alice's father would probably like it better if her car stayed intact while there were people inside.

So we took Bella's truck.

Which I started regretting as soon as we got in. I seemed to have forgotten how slow the truck moved since yesterday. But I guess it was better than being in the same vehicle as Jasper.

But I complained the whole time, causing Bella to refuse to talk to me. And I really wanted her to talk to me. One whole reason I was complaining was if I didn't, I might just stare at her. And I think that might be a little bit worse than the complaining.

At least the complaining is less creepy.

I said something about a rental that I was getting, because her truck was so old, I was afraid that if something happened and we needed to make a fast getaway, we wouldn't be able to. Good thing Carlisle agreed.

She said that she would be glad when I got my rental too, because then she wouldn't have to deal with me. I told her she'd still have to deal with me…just not her truck.

For some reason she liked the truck…maybe it was because I didn't?

"Can you seriously not go longer than five minutes without bad mouthing something?" She asked me.

"No, it's not really in my abilities." which wasn't really true. But it gives me something to do at the moment. "Besides," I told her, "I can't let you out of my sight. I'm your body guard, remember?"

She asked if Rosalie could be her body guard, because she was scary. Which is true. But I told her she would miss me if I wasn't around her. Or at least, I hoped part of her would, anyway.

"Why are you always so cocky?" She asked.

I turned away from her, mumbling that it was my defense mechanism. If I didn't act cocky, I would probably blurt all my feeling out to her. And neither one of us needed that.

Bella slammed on her breaks; I had to put both of my hands out to hit the dash before my face did. I bet she's going to be smug about the whole not wearing a seatbelt thing. Since I wasn't wearing one, even after she told me too. I turned to her sharply.

"Whoops! Sorry."

"Yeah, sure." I mumbled, turning back to the window.

* * *

When we pulled up to the house, I watched Bella's reaction. Esme hadn't been here long, only two days really. But she had workers here for the past week, rebuilding, rewiring, painting, and whatever else needed to be done before they got here.

The look one Bella's face was one of awe. I smiled. Esme had that effect on people. And Esme loved it.

When Bella and I started talking about the house and Esme, the conversation changed. It was my doing but I just couldn't help it.

"Mom's a very determined person, when she decides to do something. She does it."

"I wish I had that kind of determination."

"Me too." I said

She snorted. "You do have that kind of determination, Edward."

"Not really." I shook my head; I had to look away from her. I loved it when she said my name. And I shouldn't.

"I think you do." she told me.

"No, there are some things I would like to do, but I... can't" like, I would like not to be in love with her, and I was determined not to be…I just couldn't get myself to follow.

"What do you mean 'cant'"

"I just can't, okay?" It was impossible. I've never met anyone like Bella. Even trying to make her mad so that she would say something equally angry at me wasn't working. "Come on." I jerked the door open and got out. I really couldn't be in an enclosed area with her while I was upset with myself like that.

I started to walk away without her…that was until I heard thoughts about her that I didn't like.

_Umm…like to have a piece of that!_

_I can make it better._

_I'm way more man than that boy will ever be._

In each of them, they were watching Bella. I started back towards her when the cat calls started. She was still looking down, so apparently she hadn't realized that they were talking about her. I looked towards the men, hoping that it would cut them off,

No such luck.

"Edward, what-?" from the corner of my eye I saw her look their way.

"Hey, baby!" The short fat pudgy one called out. "When you want a real man, you should come and find me!" The other guys cheered him on.

"Seriously?" She asked in disbelief.

My only reply was to put an arm around her. This just caused the men to think other things that I didn't want to hear.

"You should stop doing that?" she said, when we made it to the porch. I moved my hand to the small of her back. My hand felt like it was on fire, and all I wanted to do was to touch her more.

I looked down at her. "Stop doing what? Saving you?"

"No, grinding your teeth. And calm down, your practically steaming here."

She could hear me grinding my teeth?

I slightly smiled "I am not."

"Yes, you are." she walked into the foyer, and then turned to look at me. "Just so you know, I don't like the way you do that."

"Do what?"

"When you go all mucho on me like that." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"So, you wanted those guys to make those cat call to you like that?" I pulled on her arms, grabbing the front of her coat. She started slapping my hands.

"What are you doing?" She shrieked.

"Stop." I said as I grabbed her hand that was hitting me. "I'm taking off your coat." I started to undo the zipper.

"I could do that you know." She said, watching as I pulled the zipper all the way down.

_**I know, but it wouldn't be as fun.**_

She took a deep, shaky breath as she looked up into my eyes, as my hands pulled down on the shoulders of the coat. Once she was free of the coat, I held it tightly in my hands, making my knuckles turn white. I took a step closer to her, which was hard to do, considering we were so closer already.

I didn't plan on taking off her coat to bring this type of emotion out of me. This lust. But after me know that I failed at not falling in love with her, and those men making me realize that I didn't want anyone else to have her; this is what it did to me.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" I asked, though I wasn't sure if it was directed at myself or to Bella. But Bella shook her head anyway, slightly.

I moved my hand, and lightly touched her fingertips, then made my way up her fingers to the palm of her hand. I wanted to take my time with this; no one was around. I brought my other hand up to her cheek, and leaned in closer to her. Focusing only on her lips. I was finally going to allow myself to kiss her, after struggling against myself for three days of not doing it. Her eyes started fluttering.

This was it. This was-

"Bella!" Alice's high pitch shrill could have probably been heard in New Zealand.

_**What the…where did she come from? **_

I wasn't used to people sneaking up on me. I flinched away from Bella, but kept her hand in mine as Alice and Jasper rounded the corner.

"Hey, Alice." Bella took a step closer to her, as she tried to get me to let go of her hand. I wouldn't let go. I didn't want to.

Jasper smirked at me. _Did we interrupt something? Oh well, too bad!_

"We have to talk to Carlisle, now." I said to Bella, and started dragging her away. Probably wasn't the best thing to do. But right now, I didn't really care.

* * *

After talking to Carlisle, who didn't tell me anything more of what I already knew. Esme used me to help her with some heavy lifting, when Carlisle told me to find Jasper, so that we both could help Esme with picking out furniture for the billiard room.

I found Jasper with Bella and Alice, and he and Alice were being lovey-dovey sweet to each other.

"You guys should quit. You're probably grossing Bella out."

"And why do you say that?" Alice asked me. _If you had the chance you would be doing the same with Bella._

I wasn't even going to acknowledge that. "If I had been in here, it would gross me out." Alice huffed. Not from my answer, but because I didn't tell her if she was right or wrong. And I'm not. At least for a while. "Jazz, dad wants to see you." I winked at Bella before I walked out the door.

Once me and Jasper were far enough away I turned to him. "So what do you think their talking about in there?"

"Like you don't know!'

"I don't."

"Yeah right. You say that when all you have to do is read Bella's mind."

"I can't read Bella's mind." I guess no one told him.

He stopped in his tracks, grabbing my arm in the process. "Really?"

"Really"

"Wow! I wonder why?"

"Me too."

"So I guess that is really weird to you, huh?"

"Yes."

"But I guess being around Bella makes you feel normal, huh?"

I smiled slightly. "Not sure if you want to consider it normal."

He studied me, silently. I already knew what was coming "You like her don't you?"

I didn't have to say anything; apparently my face said all he needed to know. We started walking down the hall once more, when a noise sounded behind us.

"Guys!" I heard Bella screamed. "Jasper!"

Jasper and I both flew into the room at the same time. "What's wrong?" we both asked in union. I saw Bella holding Alice up, but Jasper was already making way to her.

I made my way towards Bella, never talking my eyes off Alice and Jasper as I put my hands on her shoulders. "It's okay, she's going to be fine." at least, that's what I said. Though I wasn't too sure. Her mind was a jumbled mess. Pictures were flashing through it, randomly. None of it connected. At one part I saw Bella standing in front of a vampire. I knew it was a vampire because he was in the light, and he was sparkling.

Alice couldn't explain what happened to her. Hell, _I_ couldn't explain what happened to her.

Carlisle thought it would be best if everyone went outside once Alice was able to calm down enough to walk. I tried to follow Bella outside, but Carlisle wanted me to stay in. he wanted to talk about what happened.

All I wanted to do was to be outside with Bella. It worried me that I wasn't going to be with her; nor could I explain what had happened inside of Alice's mind.

And I told dad as much when he asked me.

I turned towards him, away from Bella's retreating figure through the trees. "I don't know what happened. But it doesn't sit right with me."

"Well, what did you see?" He asked. He sat down on the couch beside Esme, where she sat when everyone else had left to go outside.

"It was like…" I paused, trying to figure out how to tell them what I saw. "It was like I was watching a movie or something. I knew it wasn't true, but it made me think that it _could_ be true."

"What do you mean?" Esme asked.

"There were different pictures running through her head. None of them made sense. But one was of Bella." I looked back out the window, hoping I could see her. I couldn't.

"What did you see?"

"I saw a vampire standing in front of Bella. And Bella asked him not to hurt her."

Carlisle and Esme exchanged looks.

_I wonder if the outcome of her attack is going to be anything like Edwards._ Carlisle's thought came to me.

"What attack?" I wasn't aware of any attack. Carlisle started to think about whatever attack he was thinking, when I caught another thought.

Thoughts that I knew shouldn't be hearing.

_Bella's all alone!_

My head snapped to the window.

_Poor, poor Bella!_

My legs started moving before my brain caught up with what I was doing.

_Bella's all mine! No one is going to stop me!_

This thinker had another thing coming if he thought no one was going to stop him.

Because I was.

I raced out of the house so fast that I barely caught Carlisle and Esme shouting my name behind me.

Before I made it to the tree line I saw an axe that had be left by one of the workers, I picked it up thinking it would come in handy.

Besides, I had no other weapon to use.

It didn't take long for me to follow the thoughts of the person following my Bella. But what I saw when I came to the clearing, mad me stop in my tracks. The vampire was walking closer and closer to Bella, who was laid out against a tree at an odd angle.

No way would she be there, sitting in front of the tree like that willing.

The anger I felt towards him was greater than anything else I've ever felt, but it didn't take my mind way that I had seen this vision before.

Just a little bit ago when Alice had all those different things going through her head at one time.

I stepped out into the open, away from the shade of the trees. He still hadn't realized I was behind him, which was stupid on his part.

Considering he was a vampire.

I started walking faster, gripping the handle of the axe tighter. As soon as I brought the axe up to swing, he spun around facing me, gripping the handle too, stopping me from my mark.

"They warned me about you!" He hissed in my face, trying to pull the axe down from where I had it angled from his neck.

I only pulled harder. The anger that was coursing through me allowed it. I didn't know what happed to Bella, I couldn't check on her to even make sure she was alive. And that hurt me. More than I thought would be possible. I never wanted her to feel pain of any sort. And this happened.

I wasn't there to save her.

"So you're the mind reader, huh?" He questioned. "Then read my mind!" his thoughts flashed with all sort of scenarios of what he was going to do to Bella; the last one lingering on her with red eyes.

"NO!" I made a strangled cry. I wouldn't let that happen…even if my life depended on it.

I gripped the handle of the axe tighter, and pushed with all my strength. One second I was seeing red, the next I looked down to see the blond vampire staring up at me from the ground.

_How? _Was his last thought. I swung with all my might down, shutting my eyes, tightly. I felt it struck, into something thick; hearing a splat. I pulled the axe back up, only to repeat the process several times in a row. Once my anger was spent…somewhat anyway, I finally opened my eyes. And saw red, again, but in a different way.

Blood, everywhere.

I didn't spend too much time on that. I dropped the axe and rushed to Bella, dropping to her side. She wasn't completely unconscious and she was moaning, and saying a few words. Most were 'don't hurt me', over and over.

From behind me I could hear movement, also the voices of Jasper and Emmett calling Bella. But it didn't matter, I had her now.

"Edward…what-?" Emmett called as he got closer to me.

I didn't answer. I didn't have to, there was no need. As I gently picked up Bella off the ground, I turned to them with a dark look. They all looked back with understanding. I even caught part of Jasper's thought of me knowing what it was like for him now.

But I didn't think that way.

Before I took her back to the house, and gave her to Carlisle to look over, I looked down at her, and spoke some words that were never spoken truer.

"I'm your Bella…and I will never let anything ever happen to you again."

* * *

AN~ Ironically, when I started typing this story the song 'read my mind' by the killers came on. Weird!

Read and review. Love ya!

~Sky.


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